State of health
One week into the official campaign period for the coming May 9 national elections, fatigue and illnesses are fast catching up, especially on several elderly candidates. But even the health of the so-called “young blood” among them is not spared from the rigors of the campaign.
Of course, the virus is easily transferred in the shaking of hands from one voter to another and other close contacts with the people who would elect them into office. This is not to mention the exhausting motorcades that expose candidates to heat and dust and other health hazards along the way.
If one’s immunity is not strong, then it would be no wonder candidates are taken ill, if he or she is not sick in the first place.
Having earlier announced she has overcome her stage four lung cancer, Sen.Miriam Defensor-Santiago is making sure the campaign trail will not tax her state of health at this stage of the presidential race. The 70-year-old Santiago is running with Sen.Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.as her vice presidential running mate. She flew with Marcos to Batac, Ilocos Norte in their proclamation rally to establish their hold in the so-called “solid north.”
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was purportedly downed by acute bronchitis last Thursday that cut short his campaign activity in Metro Manila. After an overnight rest in a hospital, the 70-year-old presidential candidate of the PDP-Laban had to fly back the next day to his bailiwick city in Davao.
After home rest, Duterte reportedly resumed his campaign over the weekend. Duterte’s vice presidential running mate Sen.Alan Peter Cayetano joined him in Davao City. From there, the camp of Duterte-Cayetano tandem announced they will resume the campaign trail in Misamis Oriental tomorrow.
Duterte’s camp, however, publicly admitted earlier the Davao City mayor has existing medical condition called Buerger’s disease and Barret’s esophagus. In Buerger’s disease, Duterte, despite having quit smoking, has developed constricted blood vessels due to accumulation of nicotine. Duterte contracted Barret’s esophagus as a result of his heavy alcohol drinking in the past.
Despite his running mate falling ill on the first week of the campaign period, Cayetano insisted Duterte is not afflicted with any life-threatening or debilitating sickness. Or he may even argue the usual “hindi basta-basta
namamatay ang masamang damo” (roughly translated as bad grass don’t easily die).
That however is not enough assurance to win voters’ confidence if the president they want installed into office can live through the end of his term on June 30, 2022.
The problem is the long haul of a six-year term presidency may not be suitable for those whose state of health might not live up to the rigors of this very tough job.
But one’s life is by Divine will. As we Catholics rationalize our earthly life, we say only God can tell.
Morbid as it may sound but the late OFW Family Club party-list representative Roy Señeres, a few days before he succumbed to cardiac arrest, already announced his withdrawal from the presidential race. The 68-year-old Señeres, who had diabetes, cited poor health. In his formal manifestation submitted by his daughter to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Señeres asked to withdraw his certificate of candidacy filed in October last year.
The Comelec, however, refused to accept his daughter’s submission on the grounds that the Omnibus Election Code required candidates to personally manifest their withdrawal before the poll body. Before he could do so, Señeres suffered severe cardiac arrest and died at the hospital last week.
The presidency is just a heartbeat away for his successor, who by our country’s constitution, would take over in case of incapacity, impeachment or death of the sitting Chief Executive. So it is very crucial we choose the Vice President who is most fit for the job.
Among the five presidential candidates, Vice President Jejomar Binay is the eldest. The 73-year-old Binay, however, dares all who question his state of health to a fitness test. The youngest presidential candidate, on the other hand, is Sen.Grace Poe who is 47 years old. Former interior secretary Mar Roxas, the presidential standard-bearer of the ruling Liberal Party (LP), is 58.
The VP candidates running respectively with the following: Poe with Senator Francis Escudero (46 years old); Binay with Gregorio Honasan (68 years old); Roxas with Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo (51 years old). Marcos is 58 years old and Cayetano is 45 years old.
With 84 days to go before election day, we will see more candidates in political advertisements on television. But for re-electionist Senate president Franklin Drilon, it is a very expensive campaign to wage by using political ads on prime time TV at present rates. During our breakfast forum at the Kapihan sa Manila
Bay at Cafe Adriatico last Wednesday, Drilon deplored as “outrageous” and “prohibitive” the current political ad rates of as much as P983,000 for a 30-seconder placement in a prime time show at ABS-CBN.
From the ABS-CBN website of its political ad rates, Drilon noted, the cheapest rate is P230,000 for a 30-seconder in a morning cartoon program. Drilon was not surprised if one candidate reportedly spent as much as P600 million in TV political ads even before the official campaign started.
According to an insider from rival TV network, GMA-7 purportedly charges P589,088.50 per prime time rate on political ads, plus value added tax.
Although one of the more moneyed candidates in the coming election, Drilon swore he could not afford a campaign through political ads on TV. Despite the Comelec having relaxed its rules on political ads on TV limiting these at 120 total minutes per station, it merely made them more expensive for candidates.
Why embark on strenuous campaign and barnstorming all over the country when a candidate can have more reach with voters through political ads on TV? If the state of health of a candidate is at stake, the choice is very clear. Their campaign donors will grudgingly part with some of their wealth.
The problem is the long haul of a six-year term presidency may not be suitable for those whose state of health might not live up to the rigors of this very tough job.